About Dr. Ferguson: Dr. S. Scott Ferguson is a Professor of Business and Management courses at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill. A multi-faceted professional and change agent, Dr. Ferguson is uniquely adept at elevating the HR function into a full business partner and vital participant in strategic planning and the execution of effective processes. He has been successful with small, mid-cap and Fortune 500 companies. He has consistently improved and optimized all operating and support areas through the development of corporate cultures, re-alignment of organizational infrastructure, the selection and development of key personnel, and the installation of rewards systems.

Throughout his career, he has grown businesses, merged acquired organizations, and downsized companies. He is skilled at managing changes designed to build profitability, elevate morale and provide cutting edge services to both internal and external customers. He is proficient at cultivating and nurturing relationships.

Among his many accomplishments, Dr. Ferguson has owned, developed, managed, and profitably grown five small businesses. He has international experience through his education and his global responsibilities in business. He has served as an officer of companies, a member of corporate and non-profit boards, President of a Chamber of Commerce, and selected to participate in numerous cross-functional task forces. He Co-Chaired SUNY Cobleskill’s 2017 Strategic Planning Process. He currently serves as SUNY Cobleskill’s Chief Diversity Officer.

He earned his BS in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University, his global MBA from Duke University, and his Ed. D. from St. John Fisher College in Executive Leadership. Dr. Ferguson and his family currently reside in Canajoharie, New York. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, water sports, snowmobiling, motorcycling, skiing, and sailing.

Curriculum Vitae:

SUMMARY

Ten years experience developing curriculum and teaching upper level undergraduate business courses in traditional, mixed modes, and on-line formats. Developed and delivered training for corporate training programs, certifications, and management training. Experienced in developing internship opportunities in companies and developing team members. Eighteen years Human Resource experience in a variety of industries. Entrepreneur. Small business owner. Consulting experience.

EDUCATION

ST. JOHN FISHER COLLEGE, Ed. D. in Executive Leadership

Dissertation: Increasing Small Business Success in America: A Hermeneutical Phenomenological Study of Why Small Business Owners Started a Business and How They Define and Measure Success

Provided organization effectiveness consultation to six entities as a part of my doctoral studies: Bausch & Lomb; Excellus; Harris; The Advocacy Center; Children Awaiting Parents; and the Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce.

DUKE UNIVERSITY, Fuqua School of Management, Global Executive Masters of Business Administration program (GEMBA), Masters Business Administration

UNIVERSITY of MICHIGAN, Leading Change: Creating Transformational Competencies

Week long workshop based on John Kotter’s Leading Change

CORNELL UNIVERSITY, BS Degree, School of Industrial and Labor Relations

SELECTED STUDENT COMMENTS FROM COURSE EVALUATIONS

“The instructor is very thorough, very engaging in his lectures. Personally, the best instructor thus far.”

“I really enjoyed the course, in large part because the instructor is very interesting and relevant. I like his interactive teaching style and the way he forces students to engage in a very friendly and non-threatening manner. I have only heard positive feedback from other students on this professor.”

“Very informative class that I feel anyone who is thinking of taking any type of business classes should take. I look forward to taking classes in the future with Professor Ferguson.”

“Prof. Ferguson has great knowledge and great understanding of diversity. He made me feel welcome and always welcomed my questions, and answered them.”

“I feel that Scott was a fantastic teacher. His real work background and experience really helped us understand the examples and concepts he was teaching. I respected and valued his work experience and knowledge. I have taken 3 classes with him and loved them all.”

“I received two separate classes with Prof. Ferguson and he used two completely different teaching methods, both very effective. He is a great professor with a lot of knowledge.”

Established LLC. Bought a franchise and created it as a dba within the LLC. Purchased a second business and established a third business in the LLC.

Chief People Officer, Viecore, Inc., Mahwah, NJ, 10/2000 to 3/2008

Responsible for working with “C” suite of a professional services company to maintain, develop, and implement the people strategies, practices, and processes required to care for the human capital of the company.

Received excellent feedback from students, professors, and the Dean regarding the learning in courses taught.

Elected by peers to be President of Schoharie County Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

Reframed the Schoharie Chamber of Commerce’s operational plan.

Created a business plan for a non-profit organization.

Facilitated workplace covenants between managers and employees in multiple organizations.

Facilitated organization development intervention across a division’s leadership team to increase organization effectiveness in a defense contractor.

Established a company that doubled year over year and became a credible provider in its marketplace.

International business experience from vendor relations, acquisitions, and divestitures in Europe and Asia-Pac.

Developed and implemented an orientation to introduce the corporate culture appropriately to new hires; included formalizing a mentor program and ensuring 90 day objectives were in place within one week of hire.

Created and administered sales compensation plans for 2001 – 2007 plan years that were connected to the business plan of the company.

Created a multi-source staffing strategy and completely redesigned the staffing funnel to increase volume from alternate channels.

Integration team member of acquisition which required cleaning up a failed “roll-up” company by implementing business processes and disciplines; repaid acquisition cost and was cash positive in less than 12 months.

Combined 401k plans to one provider, created trustees, selected investment options and plan design, and put a regular plan review process in place.

Avaya HR Transition leader for the 35,000-person spin-off of Avaya from Lucent.

Reduced business unit HR expenses from $12M to $9.5M as the interim HR leader for a 35,000-person business unit.

Business team member for divestiture of Avaya small business channel (became Expanets)

Determined company’s pay philosophy utilizing a total compensation approach, completed market analysis for compensation and benefit programs, and made adjustments to competitively position the company; included creation of an ESOP, merit distribution plans, and the design of compensation structures.

Implemented a Management by Objectives performance management system across the company.

Created a Worker’s Compensation Trust and recruited members by working with local businesses, a plan administrator, and a community organization to yield 40+% worker’s compensation cost savings.

Designed corporate High Potential program.

Member of management team for local labor contract negotiations and national unions for divestiture.

Served as a board member of non-profit, corporate board member, officer of a company, a Trustee of two 401k plans, and Trustee of Worker’s Compensation Trust.